A Lankan Canadian's perspective
By K. S. Sivakumaran
Tamils in Independent Ceylon is a book in English by Lanka born Canadian,
Supiramaniam Makenthiran from 5292 Naskapi Court Mississuaga, Ontario L5R
2P3, Canada. This 148 page book with photographs describes the 'History of
Tamil struggle in Sri Lanka' as stated in the sub-heading of the book.
The author had served in Sri Lanka and the African continent as an accountant
and retired as a World Bank Project Finance Officer. He is a graduate of the then
University of Colombo and a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified
Accountants.
The blurb of the book says that "In this book, he has traced the struggle of the
Tamils from the time Ceylon became independent to the present time. It starts with
the non-violent Satyagraha led by the Upcountry Tamil leader Thondaman and
then by the Northeast Tamil leader Chelvanayagam.
After thirty years of futile non-violent agitation, it culminates in the armed
resistance by Tamil militants." There are 21 chapters in this slim volume : Ceylon
Independence, Ceylon on the eve of Colonialism, Political Developments up to
Independence, Political Developments after Independence, Events leading to
Tamil Eelam demand, the Father of the Tamil Nation, Vaddukoddai Resolution,
Tamil Youth react to Sinhala Terror, The 1983 Genocide of Tamils by Sinhalese,
Aftermath of the Holocaust, The Eelam War 1, The Patriarch of Upcountry Tamils,
The IPKF War, The Eelam War 2, Eelam War 3 begins, The Liberation of
Mullaitivu, the Liberation of Vanni and Elephant Pass, The Hero of Tamil
Liberation, The Agni Keela and Katunayaka Debacles, Leaders of Tamil Speaking
people and Ceasefire.
I wish that the writer had used sparingly some terms and not generalize as
"Sinhala Terror" (because only a section of the 'unenlightened Sinhalas resorted
to violence due to their stupidity of understanding history) and also as "genocide
of Tamils by Sinhalese" (because not all Tamils were killed by all the Sinhalese).
The emotional element in his writing could have been minimised and an
impassioned approach to the muddled problem could have been appreciated by
neutral observers.
The author is right in saying that "The history of Lanka has been distorted and
many facts suppressed by interested parties." But he had this to say: "I have
briefly touched on the history of Ceylon Tamils from the time Lanka was
connected to India by land, and the Tamil Hindu King Ravana who ruled over
Lanka thousands of years ago."
I leave it to the reader's understanding and interpretation of some of the
statements made by the author. Here are some gleanings: "The Buddhist
chronicles, Mahavamsa written in the 6th century A.D., and the later Chulavamsa,
give information about Ceylon history from the 6th century B.C. Commonsense
dictates that Tamils were the inhabitants of Sri Lanka (p 4).
The Sinhalese were converted to Buddhism during the reign of King
Devanampiyatissa. The Sinhalese are Aryans as claimed without any basis. They
are a mixed ethnic group, largely Dravidians, speaking the Sinhala-language
which developed later. Many south Indians who immigrated to Ceylon up to recent
times were assimilated by the Sinhalese" (P 7).
The following passage (P 25) is subject to be reviewed dispassionately: "In
pursuance of his racist policies, D.S. Senanayake launched massive colonisation
of the traditional Tamil homeland of the northern and eastern provinces with
Sinhalese from the south.
He planted undesirable Sinhalese ex-convicts and thugs in Gal Oya, Allai,
Kantalai, Pavatkulam and other places squeezing the Tamils out of their own
homeland of northeast, driving them out of their villages and committing atrocities"
The writer continues: If D.S.S. started Sinhala State Terror against the Tamils in
1948, the Sinhala Mob Terrorism started in 1956." (P 26) "To add to the bitterness
of the Tamils, in 1958 anti-Tamil riots by Sinhalese hoodlums was organised by
the racist elements with the connivance of the Bandaranaike Government all over
the Sinhalese provinces." (P 27).
Understandably there were bitter experiences that the nation as a whole faced
during the past several decades since independence. All communities suffered
due to power hungry politicians and racists in all quarters. But is there no hope
after heavy losses of life, property, prestige and human values and human rights
et al. This is what sane people ask.
Well, the writer Supiramanaim Makenthiran has this statement to make: "It is to be
hoped that Sri Lanka will enjoy peace and prosperity and Tamils treated as equal
citizens in the future. It is also to be hoped that Tamil people of the northeast and
upcountry, will live happily in an autonomous set up, politically, socially,
economically, culturally and linguistically. In this way, the country, which is
presently divided de facto, can be reunited."
Read this book to understand things from a Thamilian perspective and then
criticize and find proper solution to the nation's malady.
Lanka born Canadian in Colombo In the late 1950s, there was the defrocked
Jesuit priest, who edited the "Star" tabloid for the Gunasena Group of
Newspapers, who directed a short film "Little Bike Lost", while he was teaching at
St. Joseph's College, Darley Road, Colombo. He was Noel Crusz.
He was a friend of Bing Crosby, the cowboy and wrote interesting articles on him.
Then we have Robert Crusz, who lived in the U.K. and edited a monograph on
Lankan Cinema for a prestigious and scholarly London Journal, "Framework". He
is now in Colombo.
Coming from the same family of Burgher descent is the famous Rienzie Crusz, who
worked as a librarian in the Central Bank in Colombo in the 1950s. He emigrated
to Canada and had lived in Trinidad as well. I know only this much about him,
although I have heard about him as an outstanding poet in English in Canada.
But to this date I have not read his poems. But thanks to Sam and Ameena, the
duo that publishes some of the remarkable works in English by Lankan writers
under their trade name Perera Hussein Publishing House. They invited me to a
poetry reading by Rienzie Crusz, himself and a few friends of the couple.
One among them was a professor and there were three other youngsters, who
read his poems beautifully and I understood the poems of Rienzie better by their
reading. The event took place at the ICE last Saturday amidst academics and
other celebrities.
The poems were taken from two volumes published by the Perera Hussein
Publishing House located at 80A, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 07. The
anthologies are: "Singing Against the Wind" and "Elephant and Ice". It is not an
exaggeration that his poems are beautiful compositions of lives and memories
encountered by the poet and has an unenviable depth.
The poet, Rienzie Crusz, told the audience that the Trinidad writer and Nobel
Laureate, Walcot, found his poems great. It was profitable engagement even
though a slight drizzle disturbed the smooth reading progression.
Thanks to Robert Crusz for introducing me to his uncle who was engaged in a
nostalgic conversation with newly discovered writer in English, Tissa Abeysekera. I
exchanged a few words with him, and discovered that he seems to be annoyed
with the "Thamil Problem".
To be honest in expressing my own sentiments, there is no 'Thamil Problem" in
this country, but an identity crisis of accommodating the Tamils by a few
unenlightened Sinhalas as they want a majoritarian hegemony subjugating others
under one single nation. Perhaps the respected poet, having been far away in a
distant cold country like Canada, is unable to perceive what is really happening in
this country.
As he perceives the other side of the picture, he might be able to voice another
perspective of his feeling for the humankind.